From the Principal

Andrew Watt – Principal

The day the entire school stopped, and joined together to sing

On Monday morning, normal lessons were suspended, and the neighbouring parks and houses reverberated with the voices of over 900 students, as they sang Shevet Achim Ve’achayot. There was something very special about watching our staff (dressed in blue and white), our students, parents and grandparents sing with energy and passion from the balconies of the Brender Moss Building and across the steps of the basketball courts, dancing and waving Israeli and Australian flags. An amazing and rare spectacle.

“We sang the Hebrew song because we need to give the song to other people, so they can have love.” Ruby, Kornmehl Pre-school

The recording of this beautiful song forms part of our Social Cohesion funding project. The song was selected to express our love for and connection with Israel at this difficult time.

The lyrics of Shevet Achim Ve’achayot – A Tribe of Brothers and Sisters – expresses a both a love for Israel and an appeal for unity. The lyrics also point to the historical connections to the land and refers to the Torah and other Hebrew texts. The original version of this popular song was performed by 35 famous Israeli singers. We look forward to viewing the final version of the filming, which was professionally produced and directed by Adam Dostalek. This was a challenging project, and we are very grateful for the wonderful support afforded by Sarit Spira, Adina Roth, Jo de Araujo and our Heads of School, Tany Milner and Adam Majsay.

Please enjoy the gallery of photos at the end of this article, which give a taste of what was a wonderfully memorable day.

The value of continuous reporting

As part of our commitment to fostering curious, resilient learners, parents are reminded of the importance of our continuous reporting system, ‘Checkpoints’. The checkpoints provide a snapshot of your child’s learning journey, highlighting both accomplishments and areas for growth. By aligning with our teaching and assessment cycle, checkpoints offer timely, meaningful feedback that is essential for student development. These checkpoints help our students reflect, act on advice, and pursue personal growth as lifelong learners.

We encourage you to engage with these Checkpoints on Reshet to support and understand both your child’s progress and learning needs. Parental involvement remains the key to nurturing your child’s journey towards becoming an engaged, informed, and self-directed leaner. Further information and support in accessing Checkpoints is located later in this edition.

TASS transition

Our staff have been in training sessions for the past few weeks, configuring and learning how to use TASS, our new Student Management System. From the first day of Term 2 you will have access to TASS through what is called the Parent Lounge, which will eventually replace Edumate. On Tuesday 2 May 2024, we will send you an email, along with a checklist and step by step information on how to access the Parent Lounge. While it may seem strange at first, you’ll soon come to realise how user-friendly and beneficial the new system is.

Please bare with us as we transition this new student management system, as some functions in Edumate will still be active and will require your attention. We commit to keeping you fully informed as we move to a new system that provides benefits and solutions that will revolutionise the way we communicate.

Let my people go

Following our Years K-2 and Year 6 sederim, today our High School students will take part in theirs. The Year 12 Chocolate Seder is a highlight as our most senior students who move through the Haggadah with sweet offerings along the way. I believe I will be ‘performing’ in at least one seder, as I did yesterday when Eliyahu the Prophet was uncharacteristically late! Thank you to Adina Roth, Hagit Bar-On, Adam Carpenter, Kobi Bloom and the whole Jewish Life Department for their incredible work in creating these wonderfully engaging and educational sederim.

Two nights of exceptional talent

On Monday night, students performing in our much-anticipated High School Cabaret dazzled audiences with their talent. This highlight of the term provides students with the opportunity to express and stretch themselves, developing an entertaining stage personality that delights young and old. Thank you to Samanatha Bauer, Head of Drama, for guiding the students to step beyond their comfort zones and perform with such gusto. Thank you to Ofer Levy, parent photographer, for his superb photos which captured the event so perfectly. You can find a gallery of these photos in this edition of Ma Nishma.

Our K-12 musicians with our Adjudicators – Ben Adler and Lisa Goodridge – and Mrs Milner

On Wednesday night, I attended our annual Years K-12 Music Competition Showcase. Our talented vocalists and instrumentalists entertained the audience with performances worthy of Broadway and international music halls! It was particularly gratifying to watch the students’ musical development over the past three years since the inception of the Competition and Showcase. Thank you to Remington Owen, Co-ordinator of Music Events for his exceptional organisation of the event, and the Music Department for helping the students develop their musicianship to such a high standard.

You’ve Never Mattered More

On Sunday, eight students represented Emanuel School at JCA’s major community event – You’ve Never Mattered More. Thank you to Romy McCorquodale, Boaz Simhi and Liberty Waldner who volunteered to assist JCA staff to set up for the event, welcome guests and collect the all- important pledge cards.

Five other Emanuel students – Lily Foltyn, Leah Joshua, Mirabella Marshall, Johnny Menczel and Ashley Unger – had the privilege of singing in the JCA Community Choir with over 70 other performers, including Emanuel Music Teacher and professional vocalist, Sarit Spira. It was no co-incidence that JCA chose the Opera House as the venue for this event. Students wore yellow ribbons in support of the hostages and their rendition of One Day and Salam sent a clear message for peace. Mirabella and Ashley have written a recount of their experiences in this edition of Ma Nishma, which I I urge you to read.

You’ll find the recording of JCA’s Community Choir’s performance here.

Let the holidays begin!

As a lengthy first term comes to an end, I hope that each of our families enjoy a safe, relaxing and enjoyable break, filled with special times with family and friends. To our Year 12 students, I wish you a break that is balanced wisely between preparation for your Higher School Certificate examinations and a time of rest. Chag Pesach sameach.

Mazal tov

To Sierra Miller, Year 4, who came 5th in Heat 3 of the 200m Individual Medley at the NSW Primary School Sports Association Swimming Championships on Thursday.
To the Emanuel team of over 25 students, staff and parents who took part in the Run2Cure event, running 5km, 10km or 21km on Sunday 7 April 2024. The event raised a total of $300,000 for Neuroblastoma, in which the Emanuel team collectively raised over $5,000.
To Dylan Pal who was selected as the NSWCIS goalkeeper for 2024 and will play with his CIS teammates at the NSWPSSA Championships in Tamworth in August. A huge achievement.
To Aviv Farhy (backstroke) and Jake Rosenfeld (breaststroke) who qualified for the NSWCIS Swimming Carnival to be held at SOPAC in May.

Shevet Achim Ve’achayot

Quote of the week

“We light candles in testament that faith makes miracles possible.” ~ Rabbi Nachum Braverman

From the Director of Jewish Studies

Adina Roth – Director of Jewish Life

I have taken the liberty of writing a slightly longer piece in anticipation of the upcoming Pesach festival. Please read it in your time as it has some ideas to consider for the Pesach seder.

Pesach this year, our festival of Freedom no doubt contains a multitude of feelings. It has been seven long months since our last major holiday, Sukkot which marked a very different and painful time for Jews around the world and especially in Israel.

How do we tell the story of our passage from slavery to freedom when many are not free? How do we find joy when there is so much suffering and anguish around us?

This year, we will be reading the following poem at our Pesach seder which I wrote for our High School students.

After we read about the four children, we will consider a fifth child, the one who is not even present at the Seder table. This is her poem:

The Fifth Child

Tonight is Pesach night And some Jews are not free
As we wash our hands, will they have water to wash theirs?
When the ‘master of the house’ breaks the middle matzah – Will they invite in their captor to split the bread of affliction? Their charoset – the tunnels
The marror – their bitter tears
There will be no meal, no Afikoman
Though we seek them constantly, they are hidden

But when it comes to the telling – I hope they tell.
Like Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Tarfon and Rabbi Elazar Ben Azarayah
Let them tell the story all night long
And be disturbed by a student in the morning saying
‘It is time for the Shema-come, with us’
Except for them there will be no night
And there will be no day
And there is not yet a student coming with the Shema
But still, how I hope they tell the story

Although the Pesach Seder involves so much – from special wine glasses, a seder plate and a matzah cover (with three sections inside), not to mention an elaborate menu – at its essence, Pesach is about storytelling. And storytelling is the one thing that even a Hamas captor cannot steal from our souls or the souls of the hostages. When I write that I hope the hostages tell the story of freedom, it is really a way of saying I pray that after seven long and agonising months, their spirits have not been squashed. Let our story give them strength!

As a Jewish people, we have celebrated Pesach in many different time periods and been asked to find hope and joy in the most dismal of places. Just before Pesach 1939, on the eve of World War 2, the Hasidic Rebbe Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (writer of the Esh Kodesh), wrote a letter to his community. Seeing Hitler on the horizon, he had exhorted his people to leave Poland but as the year rolled on, it became almost impossible for many to leave. In this letter, knowing that the reality ahead was grim, he instructed his followers to be joyous on Pesach. He wrote: ‘Your joy should be so exalted that you feel that you can barely hold yourself back from breaking into an ecstatic dance; leaping from the earth to the heavens….’ I wonder about Shapira’s audaciousness – encouraging his community to find joy amidst fear and uncertainty. It is not my intention to compare the events of our time in a simplistic way to the Holocaust. But I am struck by the Rebbe’s radical resistance to despair. He knew what his people faced. And yet he exhorted them to joy on Pesach night. It is deeply moving!

This year, let us not give in to despair. We have a story to tell. It is an important story and a powerful story. It is a story of ultimately finding freedom and not just Jewish freedom. The Pesach story speaks universally to the spark within each human that yearns for true liberty.

During Pesach we do not recite the full Hallel, (songs of praise) which is recited on the other holidays. The reason we only recite half is given in a Midrash in Yalkut Shimoni which cites Proverbs, ‘Do not rejoice in the downfall of your enemies.’ Even as we finally escaped the Egyptians and they fell into the sea while chasing us, we are reminded to temper our rejoicing because other human beings suffered. A modern Rabbi, Rabbi Dr Eduard Baneth cites this Midrash and says this is ALSO the reason why we spill ten drops of wine from our overflowing glasses at the Seder – because we have in mind not just our own story but the stories of others around us, even our enemies. This year, we cannot spill this wine without also considering not only our own story but the story and the suffering of others. At our seder, when we spill the wine from our cup and remember the downfall of the Egyptians, we will mention the painful suffering that has befallen not only us this war, but also innocent Palestinians. And we will pray for a better time, when we can all imagine a shared future.

Pesach this year is overlayed with so many feelings and meanings. It feels like a lot to hold: We will need to create a chair for the hostages and remember their absence. We will have a painful reckoning with the vastness of suffering this war has caused. We will know inside ourselves that ugly anti-semitism has re-emerged. At the same time, as Rabbi Kalonymus Shapira boldly asserted, Jewish people have seen tough times before. We need to challenge ourselves to find the joy – in our sweet children singing the songs of Pesach, in the familiar tastes of kneidels and chicken soup (vegetable broth for the vegetarians), in the familiar tunes and the opportunity for family and friends to be together. Our very creating of our Seders this year is testament to the audacity of Jewish hope. I hope you find meaning and comfort in the telling of our ancient story. I pray our hostages might too.

Chag Kasher Ve’Sameach

Ma Koreh

Adam Carpenter – Head of Jewish Life Primary

Pesach celebrations continue

Our Pesach preparations and celebrations continued this week in the Primary School.

We had an exciting delivery of fired clay Judaica, created earlier this term by our students. To complement the learning they have been doing on Jewish symbols and the Shema prayer, Year 3 students designed and decorated a mezuzah. Year 4 students created beautiful matzah plates and Year 5 students designed a seder plate. Todah Rabbah to the Hebrew teachers who ran these activities and to Lia Klugman who fired hundreds of items for us in time for Pesach.

K-2 Dramatic Pesach Celebration

We welcomed many K-2 parents and grandparents to watch our K-2 Dramatic Pesach celebration. This event was written and directed by our Hebrew Drama Specialist Ms Anna Maylis and was led by our K-2 students who performed in Hebrew and English. It included a Hebrew play telling the Pesach story and involved songs performed by Kornmehl, Year K and Year 1.

Year 6 Pesach Experience

Year 6 students and their accompanying adults had a Pesach experience entitled ‘Yetziat Mitzrayim – Leaving our Narrow Places’. This event involved lots of ruach, Pesach songs, student presentations and videos and blessings over the symbolic Pesach foods.

In the spirit of Ma Nishtana and asking questions, participants had the opportunity to learn, discuss and share their ideas around the following concepts:

Leaving Mitzrayim – leaving our narrow places: These tables explored the notion of mitzrayim as any place or time of feeling people feel constrained or limited in their lives.

Freedom from… freedom to… These tables explored questions around the nature of freedom and the responsibilities that come with freedom.

Dayeinu…how much is enough: These tables reflected on the importance of gratitude and being mindful and thankful for the good we have in our lives.

Seder symbols: What role is played by the iconic Pesach symbols and food and can we be creative and think of new or different foods or objects to represent these ideas.

Thank you to all the staff involved in this event. From the Primary Hebrew teachers teachers who prepared the students, K-2 and Year 6 classroom teachers, the P&F parent helpers, Maintenance Staff, Mr Novak Manojlovic who accompanied the students on piano and our AV technician Mr Tommaso Parisi to Lyv Akres and Noah Klein, our Informal Jewish Life Leaders for helping create and run the Year 6 event.

Thank you to Ms Stacey Rosenfeld, who organised and co-ordinated Seder foods, equipment and logistics over 10 different events, involving all students from Years 3-12.

Thank you to Sharon Arnott for capturing the Year 6 Seder. Enjoy this selection of photos.

Primary News

Natanya Milner – Head of Primary School

The final two weeks of term have been incredibly busy with Sederim, swimming carnivals, song recordings, music competitions, cross country carnivals, parent-teacher nights and more. I would like to thank our staff for their incredible commitment to our students and community as they create wonderful learning opportunities in a range of domains.

Staffing update

We wish Carrie Thomas all the very best as she begins her maternity leave. I would like to thank her for her amazing contributions to the Primary School as our Director of Students. Among other things, she has overseen the introduction of PBIS, worked closely with families to support students and continued to coordinate The Leader in Me Program. We will miss Carrie but look forward to hearing all the exciting baby news and seeing photos in the coming months.

We welcome Annabelle Turrall as our Acting Director of Students (K-6) for the remaining three terms of 2024. As a much-loved Emanuel teacher and leader, I have no doubt that she will continue Carrie’s wonderful work overseeing the care and wellbeing of our students.

Rolene Silver returns from her long service leave at the beginning of Term 2. She will teach 1 Tel Aviv, taking over from Annabelle. 1T has been lucky to have Annabelle as their Term 1 teacher and I have no doubt at all that Rolene will continue to create a very special learning environment for the children.

Louise Heilpern will be on Long Service Leave for the first five weeks of next term and we will welcome Tracey Kluck back to Emanuel to teach Visual Arts while Louise is away. Hagit Bar-On will be on Long Service Leave for the first three weeks of Term 2 with Sonya Wolf replacing her. Tracey and Sonya are very experienced casual teachers and we are looking forward to them joining our team over this time. We wish Hagit and Louise all the very best for their adventures.

At the end of Week 3 next term, we will farewell Samantha Rogut from the Primary Library. We thank Samantha for all her hard work during her time at Emanuel. Most notably, she has been instrumental in the development of the new library space and our move into the new location, updating our collection and she was a wonderful support leading on-campus learning during COVID. We wish Samantha all the very best in her new endeavours.

Pesach

It has been a busy time as we have had Pesach activities and Sederim on campus for the past two weeks. I would like to thank the Hebrew and Jewish Studies teachers, led by Adam Carpenter and Hagit Bar-On, for creating meaningful, engaging experiences for all of our students. I would also like to thank Stacey Rosenfeld for her amazing organisational support.

On behalf of all the Emanuel staff, I wish our community ‘Chag Pesach Sameach’. As I think about the themes of Pesach, I am invariably led to consider the importance of freedom and the sacrifices that have been made, over millennia, to work towards it. I think about the hostages and the suffering of innocent people when I pray and hope for safety and security. More than ever, this Pesach feels a time to reflect on our blessings and connect with others.

Parent Teacher Nights

Thank you to all the parents who joined us for interviews over this term’s two parent-teacher nights. We value the opportunity to share insights and goals for our students and hope you also found it to be a valuable experience.

Music Competition

This week’s Music Competition was a fabulous opportunity to see our students’ musical talents on display. I am so proud of each of the participants for their passion and for engaging with the hard work required to prepare and participate in this event. Performing to an audience and receiving feedback from industry professionals is a very special opportunity. I would like to thank Remi Owen for co-ordinating this wonderful afternoon for the students and community. Thank you also, to Joanne De Araujo and the entire team of Music teachers and tutors for their help and support.

Sport

We have had two recent outstanding sporting achievements. Dylan Pal has been selected to be a part of the CIS Team in the NSWPSSA Football Championships. Dylan will be competing in Tamworth at the end of August and we look forward to hearing all about the competition. We have also ended the term with Sierra Miller participating in the PSSA Swimming Carnival. These are both incredible achievements and we are in awe of Dylan and Sierra’s determination and skill.

Term 1 is our most intensive term of swimming events and opportunities. While you are reading this article, I am probably at the Year 1-2 Swimming Carnival. This is one of my favourite days of the year where the children have so much fun participating in everything from freestyle and backstroke through to duck diving and cork scrambles. Also, Year 3 has finished their Term 1 intensive swimming program, having participated in weekly lessons. It sounds like it has been a fantastic opportunity to build skills and have fun together.

I would like to thank Stuart Taylor and Mat Rabenda for creating all these different activities to highlight swimming at Emanuel!

Holidays

I wish you all a happy and safe holiday break. Just a reminder that students return to school on Thursday 2 May in winter uniform.

Hagit Bar-On, Head of Primary Jewish Studies

We have an incredible community!

As we eagerly prepare for our Pesach Seders, both in classes and in our upcoming grand events on Thursday, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of our Emanuel community.

When we asked the P&F for volunteers to lend a helping hand, we were absolutely blown away by the response.

Parents rallied together, rolling up their sleeves and diving into the preparations with boundless energy and enthusiasm. From grading to cutting, washing to labelling, organising, and everything in between, their dedication knows no bounds.

All of this effort is for our students, who are about to embark on a journey tasting the special flavours of Pesach food and embracing our cherished traditions.

On behalf of the Jewish Life Department, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to each and every volunteer who generously offered their time and skills. Your kindness and selflessness have made an impact, and we are immensely grateful for your support.

We couldn’t have done it without you, and as we approach this joyous holiday, we are filled with a sense of gratitude for the blessing of having such incredible individuals within our community.

Todah Rabah!

Wishing you all a Chag Sameach filled with love, joy, and the warmth.

Primary Innovation and IT Leaders

We love being a part of the Innovation Team for 2024!

We have been brainstorming ideas for fun clubs, and will start some new ones soon! We have recorded a preview episode of our Emanuel School Primary Podcast and it will be coming out soon. We can’t wait to start recording the first complete episode. We have been working with Morah Gaidah. We also have the 3D-printing club in the new Imaginarium, and it has become very popular, especially with the printers displaying what they’re creating to the hallway. The new Imaginarium offers new experiences for all students and we have really enjoyed working in it so far. We are really excited to do even more next term.

Filming and recording has been a big factor in the IT Leaders schedule. We have been filming a short film about Purim with Morah Gaidah and also created, and are going to create more of the Pesach song videos!

Next term, eSports Club will continue. This is a super fun club which allows students to play Rocket League, Mario Kart, Minecraft and VR games such as Beat Saber. This is a great way to explore how to game safely in a friendly environment. On Wednesdays, we offer LEGO robotics where students are competing in the Robo Cup. This is where students build and code a robot to either complete a dance performance or follow a line and save a city.

This year we have continued last year’s Vex IQ Robotics club. On Thursdays we build robots to compete against each other and do complex tasks, with and without drivers. And we are hoping to compete in local competitions against other schools later in the year too.

The IT Leaders are very excited for the year to come, hopefully we will see the whole school interact with the Imaginarium.

Come along one day and see what the Imaginarium is all about!

By Isaac Struggles, Samuel Hart, Samuel Jaku, Samuel Jacob and Jory Jochelson
Year 6 Innovation and IT Leaders

Primary Extra-Curricular

Emma Hill – Primary Teacher and Coordinator of Extra-Curricular Programs

Extra-Curricular – Term 2 2024

Our Term 2 Extra-Curricular Schedule can be found online on the Parent Portal. There are a range of teacher-led Extra-Curricular clubs at lunchtimes, as well as paid After-School activities.

Due to the success of the Lisa Chimes Art Club, we will now be expanding this program to offer 2 different classes: Years K-3 on a Wednesday and Years 4-6 on a Tuesday. If your child is unable to participate on the scheduled day please email Emma Hill, as we may be able to accomodate them in the other art class.

If your child would like to participate in a paid Extra-Curricular club, please ensure that you book them early as clubs have both minimum and maximum enrolment numbers.

We encourage you to look through the Extra-Curricular schedule with your child and help them see if there are any lunch or after school activities that align with their interests.

If there is an activity that you would like to see offered in future terms, please complete this form.

The Extra-Curricular Schedule is available via the Parent Portal.

Primary School Musical update

Sarit Spira – Music Teacher | Finding Nemo Producer and Vocal Coach

Primary School Musical 2024
Finding Nemo Jr – Update

To all parents and carers of auditionees in Years 5 and 6:

If you submitted an audition or set design/stage management application on or before Tuesday 26 March 2024, you should have received an email from me regarding next steps, the audition schedule, and a reminder of audition requirements for ‘Finding Nemo Jr’. If you did not receive this, please email me to let me know.

To all parents and carers of Emanuel School students:

Applications for PARENT VOLUNTEERS are still open and welcome all from across the school to be involved in any of the following aspects of our show:

Set design/creation
Costumes
Makeup
Choreography
Parent committee

CLICK HERE to fill out the parent volunteer survey.

I’m so looking forward to setting sail on this underwater adventure with you all!

Navigating to Checkpoints Years 7 and 8

Garry Case – Director of Digital Learning Technologies K-12 | Science Teacher | Acting Head of Jewish Studies

Navigating to Checkpoints
For Year 7 and Year 8

As discussed at the Parent Information Evenings, Checkpoints are a great opportunity to view the feedback from teachers, to track how your child is progressing in each subject and to understand the focus of the learning for each subject. Over the year there will be 5 or 6 checkpoints and parents can see the feedback for their children on Reshet.

Checkpoints feedback is published soon after completion. Most subjects will now have 1 or 2 checkpoints available.

When you log on you may have to click on the ellipse (three dots on the top right) to select Card View to see the dashboard showing all of the courses. If you have more than one child at the school, there is a drop down to select the child. You can access Checkpoints by opening a course from your homepage and navigating to assignments from the left menu in the course.

You will need to scroll down to see past assignments. Alternatively you can open the calendar by clicking the fourth icon on the left hand side of your home page. Make sure you have the calendars for all of the courses selected.

Here is a short three minute video from Mr Abelson which shows these steps to support accessing Checkpoints.

There is more and other information available through the Parent Portal. With the move from Edumate to TASS next term, there will be some more information shared to you on how to navigate and use our new and improved School Online System.

If you have any issues accessing or navigating to Checkpoint feedback on Reshet please contact me via email.

K-12 Sport

Stuart Taylor – PDHPE Teacher

Year 4 Netball Competition

On Thursday afternoons throughout Term 1, our Year 4 students have been engaged in an exciting netball competition.

Led by our team of netball coaches, the students have been given the opportunity to experience and develop their skills and social relationships through being part of a team.

The Hot Shots, Goal Getters, Spice Goals, Untouchaballs, Sky Shooter and Netsetters played a weekly round robin competition, which culminated in the finals being played on Thursday 4 April 2024.

Well done to all of the Year 4 students for their enthusiasm willingness to learn the game.

Congratulations to the Hot Shots who defeated the Untouchaballs 4-3 in the decider.

Primary Boys CIS Football

Emanuel School had three representatives participating at the NSWCIS Football Championships at Valentine Sports Park on Thursday April 4 2024. Dylan Pal and Aviv Smily were part of the ASISSA team and Jake Chesler was a member of the Barbarians. The aim of the day was twofold: the first was to win as many games as possible in the round robin format and the second was to gain selection in the CIS representative team.

After a gruelling round robin competition, ASISSA again qualified for the final, narrowly losing 1-0 to IPSHA in a close contest.

Congratulations to Dylan Pal who was selected as the NSWCIS goalkeeper for 2024 and will play with his CIS teammates at the NSWPSSA Championships in Tamworth in August. A huge achievement.

AICES Swimming Carnival

Javer Cohen, Aviv Farhy, Jake Rosenfeld, Jordan Arnott, Mia Goodridge and Jack Kessell participated at the AICES Swimming Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park on Friday 5 April 2024. Against incredibly tough opposition our swimmers competed well in their respective events.

A special mention to Aviv Farhy (backstroke) and Jake Rosenfeld (breaststroke) who qualified for the NSWCIS Swimming Carnival to be held at SOPAC in May.

Compulsory before school training
For Years 4, 5 and 6

Before school training will commence for Years 4-6 at Queens Park on Thursday 9 May 2024.

Boys and Girls are playing football (soccer)

Time: 7.10 am – 8.00 am

Training dates for the term are:

Thursday 9 May 2024
Thursday 16 May 2024
Thursday 30 May 2024
Thursday 6 June 2024
Thursday 20 June 2024
Thursday 27 June 2024

No training on Thursday 23 May due to ASISSA Cross Country

Important information

All students must have shin-pads for Inter-School Soccer – training and games.
Soccer boots are optional for all students.
Children are asked not to arrive before 7.00 am and no later than 7.10 am to the training venue.
Should the weather be inclement, a text message and email will be sent to all families by 6.15 am.
Please note that before school training is compulsory.
If a child is unable to attend sports training, parents are requested to email the student’s class teacher and myself explaining the reasons for the absence.

Music Matters

Lisa McCowage – Assistant Director of Music (Extra Curricular) K-12

Welcome to our Music Matters page! 🎶

Here and on our portal page, you will find announcements about our busy Music program, so please check in regularly.

Recent student performances

Mendelssohn String Quartet performed beautifully for the New Parent Breakfast earlier this term. Jazz Combo conducted by Mr Nikolopoulos, played for the Primary School Open Day as well as Junior Choir, conducted by Ms Spira, who sang Yachad. Kol Hakavod to the selection of Primary School musicians whose solo performances welcomed the guests into the Theatre before the formal presentations: Elise Cromerwong (Year 2), Myles Borovic, Yasha Galperin and Lior Kaunitz (Year 3), Talia Cromerwong and Jacob Marmot (Year 4), Abbie Schnapp (Year 5) and Nathan Shammay (Year 6).

Mazal tov to the Year 10-11 Rock Band who wrote and performed All Fours with great style and intensity at High School Assembly on Tuesday morning: watch here The sound engineering for this performance was managed with great finesse by Aaron Berkowitz, with assistance from Rory Nathan and Dylan Budai. This group has a musical life outside of school under the name “OFF IT”. They have a big gig at the Bondi Pavilion this Saturday evening.

OFF IT performance
At the Bondi Pavilion this Saturday evening!

Our Year 10-12 Rock Band performs professionally (yes!) under the name “OFF IT”. They are performing on Saturday evening at the Bondi Pavilion for an event they have helped organise; the “Bondi Beach Bash” which features five young bands from 6.30 pm until late for Youth Week. The event culminates in a performance by OFF IT at 9.30 pm. They would our support – you register for this free event at here.

Congratulations to all students who were selected to perform at the Music Competition Finals Concerts (K-6 and Y-12) on Wednesday. Look out for the separate article about that and announcing the winners for each age category at the start of Term 2.

For your diaries!

Twilight Concerts (tutor-nominated performances) – Monday 27 May 2024.
Music Camp – Monday 24 June 2024 – Thursday 27 June 2024

Music Camp – CRU@ Lake Macquarie
Monday 24 June 2024 – Thursday 27 June 2024

Please see our separate article about Music Camp 2024 – due date to apply is Friday 3 May 2024.

An information note has been sent to parents of eligible students, including the procedure for registering to attend. If you have not received this email (sent on Thursday 4 April 2024), please email Mrs de Araujo including your child’s name, year group and their ensemble or choir name.

Term 2 dates

Weekly ensemble rehearsals and Private Music Tuition resume as normal on the first day of Term, Thursday 2 May 2024. This is especially important for those whose weekly rehearsals are on a Thursday, including Mendelssohn Senior String Ensemble and Perlman Strings which resume bright and early (before school) on that day.

The Instrumental Program (IP) for Years 3-6 will resume on these dates:

Tuesday: Year 3 and Year 5. Their first IP day is Tuesday 7 May 2024 (Week 2).
Wednesday: Year 4 and Year 6. Their first IP day is Wednesday 8 May 2024 (Week 2).

Private Music Tuition and Infant Strings Program

Thank you to those who have already advised us of changes to private tuition and Infant Strings Program enrolments for next term. The deadline for new enrolments, notification of changes or intention to discontinue for Term 2, has now passed. All students currently receiving private music tuition and students in Years K-2 who are currently participating in the Infant Strings Program will be automatically re-enrolled into tutor schedules along with students commencing lessons for the first time. Please contact music@emanuelschool.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

The schedules for Term 2 will be created at the end of term and emailed during term break.

Please visit our Music Portal Page for information about:

Private Music Tuition (beginning and discontinuing)
Ensemble and Choir membership for K-12 students
Infant Strings Program (ISP) for K-2
Performance opportunities
Borrowing an orchestral instrument

Music Camp – book now!

Diana Springford – Director of Music P-12

Sign up now – Emanuel School Music Camp 2024

Music Camp is a wonderful celebration of our vibrant music culture and the talents and hard work of our young musicians. Each camp is a special experience for students, as they unite in a shared love of music and work together in the pursuit of excellence. Emanuel School music staff join with a team of highly skilled professional musicians to develop and hone students’ musical skills in preparation for an exciting showcase concert. All members of core ensembles and choirs in Years 4 – 11 are expected to attend Music Camp, because the individual rewards are significant and the ensemble and choir gains are tremendous in terms of co-ordination, quality and understanding.

Music Camp is a four-day camp from Monday 24 June 2024 – Thursday 27 June 2024. The first three days are held at Lake Mac Outdoor Recreation Centre in Balcolyn and the final day is held at School. Students return to Emanuel on the evening of Wednesday 26 June 2024, to be collected by parents in the early evening. Camp continues on Thursday 27 June 2024 with an all-day rehearsal, a BBQ dinner for students and our Music Camp Showcase Concert in the MPH on the Thursday evening.

The cost is $650 and the due date to apply is by Friday 3 May 2024. Payment can be made in full or in two instalments, the first of which would be payable on or by Friday 3 May 2024. Attendance for Year 12 students is encouraged but optional. Year 12 students who are interested in attending should email Ms Springford as soon as possible as she will need to consult your teachers. An information note has been sent to parents of eligible students, including the procedure for registering to attend. If you have not received this email (sent on Thursday 4 April 2024), please email Mrs de Araujo including your child’s name, year group and their ensemble or choir name.

To be eligible for Music Camp, a student must have been a committed member of a core ensemble for Terms 1 and 2 of 2024 and undertake to continue their commitment for the whole year. Core ensembles include Junior or Senior Choir; Wind Band, Concert Band or Symphonic Winds; Rubinstein, Korngold or Mendelssohn Strings and Beginner or Intermediate Guitar Ensemble. We plan to timetable rehearsal sessions for the extension ensembles of chamber choirs stage bands, jazz bands and Klezmer Ensemble. There will be no Rock Bands at camp this year.

Here are some highlights from last year:

‘At the end of music camp, we had a huge showcase to show what we did at music camp and to watch all the amazing songs everyone had learnt in four days! It was so much fun!’ Year 6 2023 Music Leaders (Sophia Rule, Zoe Lawrence, Arya Cohen and Daniel Joffe).

‘Music Camp was the best! Once music camp ended, it was all they could talk about.’ Ariella Mervis and Dalia Lopis (2023 Year 4 attendees).

‘The highly anticipated annual Music camp brings unmatched excitement for all students involved and this is apparent the minute we step off the bus…. Whilst hectic, the high antics always result in a wonderful musical experience, where we get to show off to the community just how much we love to play’ Ariel Solomon and Max Salamon (2023 Year 10 attendees).

Keeping your child safe

Living with Dementia – you are not alone

Sonia Newell – Development Officer – Alumni & Community Relations

Pesach

At no other time than right now, our community truly needs our support, be it by attending rallies, praying for the return of the remaining hostages held by Hamas, buying goods from Israeli businesses and for some, by being in Israel to volunteer. With Israel engaged in a war against Hamas since 7 October 2023 and hostages still being held in Gaza, the meaning behind Pesach this year takes on even more significance. The journey from bondage to freedom, from oppression to redemption was not just in the times of our ancestors at the time of the Exodus, but it is also right now. The over-arching theme of Pesach is redemption.

This year Pesach takes on a more solemn tone than usual, infused with a profound sense of longing for peace and redemption. “In every generation, we are obligated to see ourselves as though we personally came out of Egypt,” the traditional Ashkenazi Haggadah reminds us. There are even some haggadot in which special prayers are written for the hostages. No matter where you are having your Seder night, please have some thought for those who are unable to celebrate and commemorate this important Chag.

Here are a couple of Pesach recipes that appeared in last week’s Australian Jewish News as well as some interesting statistics if you are a numbers person – a typical Montefiore Home Pesach by numbers:

20 seder dinners held
1800 seder guests served
2500 matzah balls cooked
1700 boxes of matzah served

Seder Plates 2 Go

JEMS and Our Big Kitchen (OBK) present complimentary Shmura Matzah and affordable Seder Plates 2 Go for easy pick up. The kit includes a shmura matzah and a full seder plate (enough for two people).

There will be a Drive thru on Eruv Pesach to collect. Limited quantity so sign up now.

Parade – the Tony Award winning musical

Genevieve Goldman

The Tony Award-winning musical, Parade by Jason Robert Brown, is coming to Sydney next month at The Seymour Centre. A true story of Leo Frank’s fight for justice, it is about an unsolved murder that divided a nation. Parade offers both moral lessons and a timely reflection on antisemitism and racism in the world today. Our very own alumna, Genevieve Goldman (Head Madricha, Class of 2018), will stand in for the lead role of Lucille Frank on 20 May 2024 and in other performances, she will be in the Ensemble, not playing the lead. We would love to see members of our School community in the audience on Monday 20 May 2024 – get your tickets online and if you are a member of the Sydney Jewish Museum, you can use the discount code SJM at checkout for 10% off.

Genevieve, who topped the State in HSC Drama in 2018, is a graduate of the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), where she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Music Theatre) in 2023, following a Diploma of Music Theatre at Brent Street in 2020. During her time at WAAPA, Genevieve appeared as Grizabella in Cats, Urleen in Footloose, Ensemble and U/S Mrs Lovett in Sweeney Todd and Emma Goldman in Assassins. She returned from Perth at the end of last year. She says she is thrilled to be part of this special and powerful production of Parade, as her first show out of Drama School, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for her.

Living with Dementia – you are not alone

Liane Fletcher

Past parent Liane Fletcher says, “The last five years have been a heart-wrenching time watching my mother decline due to Alzheimer’s. Sadly, I know many families who are also going through similar challenges, feeling overwhelmed and unsure where to turn. There is a lot to know about dementia, with much still left to discover and understand. It is a journey of challenges and uncertainties, with many questions along the way – what can we expect, who can we reach out to, how do we move forward and what resources and support are available.”

In honour of her mum, Dorothy Fletcher, Liane co-hosted an afternoon event last weekend for a conversation about dementia and the ageing brain, and to unravel the questions people have about this disease. The audience heard from Professor Henry Brodaty AO, Co-Director of the Centre for Healthy Brain Ageing (CHeBA), and PJ Lane, (son of TV legend Don Lane) and CHeBA Ambassador, followed by a Q&A.

A number of Emanuel alumni, including Liane’s daughters Rachel and Jessica Turtledove, Mia Shapiro, Arin Miller, Ruby Miller and Tali Kleviansky helped serve food and drinks at the event whilst guests were invited to support CHeBA’s new research project ‘Microbiome of the Brain’ and our readers here can check it out too.

If you are concerned about a loved one showing changes in their cognitive ability or change in behaviour, start at your GP and for all information and support get in touch with Dementia Australia.

Plan your Sunday activities this weekend to support Israel
Let My People Go! – Sunday 14 April 2024 at 10.00 am

Come together to rally for the release of our remaining 134 hostages. Guest speakers will include family members. Wear blue and white and bring Australian and Israeli flags.

Click here to book for the rally

Artisan Women’s Market
Kesser Torah, Dover Heights – Sunday 14 April 2024

Support Israel and support Jewish women’s small businesses, with 20% of all sales to be donated to support Merchavei Eshkol, a Primary School in the South of Israel that has been severely affected and displaced by the 7 October conflict. Register here.

Yom Hashoah
Sunday 5 May 2024

The theme for this year’s Yom Hashoah Holocaust Remembrance Day events hosted by the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies is “The Holocaust in Hungary”. The commemoration will mark 80 years since the Nazi invasion of Hungary. You are invited to attend the commemoration in person on Sunday 5 May 2024 at 6.45 pm for a 7.00 pm start at an Eastern Suburbs location (details provided one week prior). Free parking and convenient public transport options are available. Registration is essential.

The annual Memorial Service and Reading of Names will be held on Sunday 5 May 2024 at 10.30 am at the Martyrs’ Memorial, Rookwood Cemetery. Registration is essential.

The Yom Hashoah commemoration is one of the most important events on the Jewish calendar corresponding to 27^th day of Nisan on the Hebrew calendar and it marks the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. and your presence would be greatly welcomed.

Quilting for Hope

The next workshop is on Wednesday 15 May 2024. Please see the poster for details about booking plus other sessions.

Sydney Jewish Museum (SJM)

Reverberations: A Future for Memory is an interactive exhibition that gives a glimpse into the technologies being used to preserve the opportunity to interact with Holocaust survivors, in preparation when the time comes that there are sadly no more survivors to tell their own stories. Many of these 43 survivors are current or past Emanuel grandparents and great grandparents including: Paul Drexler, Olga Horak, the late Eddie Jaku, Alice Loeb, Yvonne Engelman and Egon Sonnenschein. I encourage you to see this exhibition before it closes on Sunday 19 May 2024.

Entry to the Museum is free on Sundays.

Private Art Gallery Tour
Save the date – Wednesday 14 August 2024

We hope you will join us for Salon des Refuses – the alternative Archibald and Wynne Prize selection at S.H. Ervin Gallery, Observatory Hill. More details to come soon.

We look forward to sharing our news and yours, so if you have photos and/or news you would like to share with us, please send to Sonia Newell.

Shabbat shalom, stay safe and have a great term break, as we continue to hope and pray for the safe return of all hostages still held in Gaza, and for peace to be restored in Israel soon. We wish you and your loved ones a Chag Pesach Sameach. See you again next term.

Gifted and Talented

Gifted Education – What is acceleration?

Academic acceleration is an intervention whereby gifted students progress through the curriculum at faster rates. Literature suggests this to be one of the most effective approaches used in gifted education, especially for students identified in the highly and profoundly gifted range.

There are many methods of acceleration, some examples include:

Grade-skipping, where one or more full grade levels are omitted, for example a student may move from Grade 3 directly into Grade 5
Early entrance to school, where a student begins their schooling (usually Kindergarten) at a younger age than normal
Grade telescoping where students work through the curriculum of two or more grades in less than the normal number of academic years
Subject-based acceleration, where a student does the work of a higher grade level for a particular subject either:

- In their own classroom but working on higher grade material
- By attending a higher-grade classroom for that subject
- Through dual enrolment – also enrolling in a higher level of schooling for a particular subject, e.g. studying a university subject while still in high school.

Decades of research show that thoughtful and carefully planned acceleration benefits a gifted student academically and does no harm socially or emotionally. Please read the article here provided by the Australian Association for the Education of the Gifted and Talented for more information.

Gifted and Talented Program
Parent Communication and Engagement Survey 2024

Thank you for supporting your child in the Gifted and Talented Program during Term 1. Following our Gifted & Talented Parent Information Evening earlier this term, we would appreciate your feedback on how we can continue to increase parent engagement and connection with the Gifted and Talented Program. Please complete the short survey here, which will shape future communications and events.

What’s coming up in Term 2?

	Primary School	High School
Week 1		Future Entrepreneurs of Australia
Week 2	NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 1 Australian Maths Olympiad 1 (Years 3-6) Australian Maths Bebras Challenge (Years 3-6)	Debating Round 2 UN Youth Evatt Competition Chess Round 1 Future Entrepreneurs of Australia
Week 3	Da Vinci Decathlon 5-6 (Thursday 16 May 2024) NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 2 What Matters? (Due Friday 17 May 2024)	Critical and Creative Thinking Sessions T2S1 Da Vinci Decathlon 7-11 (Tuesday 14 May 2024 – Friday 15 May 2024) Chess Round 2 What Matters? Writing Competition submission (Friday 17 May 2024) Future Entrepreneurs of Australia
Week 4	NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 3	Future Problem Solving – Community Problem Solving Proposal Submission Mock Trial Round 2 Mock Mediation Round 2 Chess Round 3 Future Entrepreneurs of Australia
Week 5	NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 4	Critical and Creative Thinking Sessions T2S2 Senior Ethics Olympiad (Friday 31 May 2024) Debating Round 3 FPS – Scenario Writing submission (1st draft) Chess Round 4 Future Entrepreneurs of Australia
Week 6	NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 5	FPS – Global Issues Problem Solving Chess Round 5
Week 7	NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 6 Australian Maths Olympiad 2 (Years 3-6)	Meet the Experts (Australian Museum) – Online Chess Round 6
Week 8	NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 7	Ethical Exploration Day – Rosebank College Chess Round 7
Week 9	NSW Junior Interschool Chess Competition Round 8 WriteOn Writing Competition (Due Friday 28 June 2024) Dorothea Mackellar Poetry Competition – (Due Sunday 30 June 2024)	Mock Trial Round 3 Mock Mediation Round 2 Chess Round 8
Week 10		FPS – Scenario Performance submission

Kornmehl

Terry Aizen – Director of Kornmehl

Pesach explorations

Since Purim, we have been learning about the festival of Passover and the wonderful traditions, stories, characters, songs, food, and creative experiences involved with this festival. We tell the story of Pesach using animation, song, music, props, and costumes and invite the children to take on roles in the story. Re-enacting the story helps to bring it to life, and allows them time to process the details and make sense of it. We tell the story of baby Moses and how he grew up in Egypt, being cared for by King Pharaoh’s daughter. The children love dramatising the story, particularly the parts when Moses goes to ask King Pharaoh to let the Jewish people go. Through all these sensory and visual experiences, the festival of Passover comes alive for the children and has meaning for them.

Pesach Seder

We all participated in our interactive Kornmehl Pesach Seder on Tuesday. The children arrived at Pre-school dressed in their best Shul clothes, eager to participate in this long-awaited Chag. The tables looked beautiful, and the food was delicious. Each child participated in dressing up and dramatising the story. We had King Pharaoh’s and Moses characters, Yocheved, baby Moses in the basket and lots of slaves. What a triumph it was when Moses led us to the Red Sea, and it parted, and we were all led safely to freedom and the land of milk and honey. We sang, rejoiced, and ate delicious matzah ball soup, lots of Matzah and all the traditional foods found on the Seder plate. We had a wonderful time. Our Seder ended with the children all going on a hunt to find the Afikomen.

Thank you to all our wonderful parent helpers: Mrs Lisa Greenberg, Mrs Laura Gordon, Mrs Jessica Glikman, Mrs Jessica Ivany, Mrs Melissa Varejes, Mrs Gabriella Sacks and Mrs Janine Silver. A big thank you to the maintenance team for helping us get ready for the seder. Everyone’s help is very much appreciated by all the teachers and the children.

On Thursday, we got to join in the Year K-2 Pesach Seder. Once again, the opportunity to connect with our Emanuel Community is one we treasure and look forward to. We participated in the Seder and sang two songs. Thank you to Morah Hagit, Mr Adam Carpenter, Mrs Anna Maylis, Mr Tommaso Parisi, Novak (piano) and all the Year K-2 teachers and parent helpers for inviting us to join this special event.

Pesach comments:

Alfie: I liked the juice and the story when we were dressing up.
Leo: I liked when King Pharaoh said no, no. no!
Neave: I liked the puppet show of King Pharaoh and I liked the matzah and finding the matzah.
Skyler: I liked searching for the afikomen.
Edison: I liked tasting the salt water.
Juliette: I liked everything.
Noah D: I liked the balls in the vegetable soup.

Back to Pre-school visit

Last week on Friday, a large group of very excited Year K students returned to Kornmehl for our back to Pre-school visit. Everyone was happy to see each other – teachers and children and there were smiles all round. We divided into two groups – Starfish and Dolphins and our Year K students each had a turn to share something special with us that they had learnt at “Big School.” We sang familiar songs, had afternoon tea, a play inside and enjoyed seeing each other again.

This is always a special time to re-connect with the children and to ensure that the foundations and bonds formed at Pre-school remain a special part of each child’s time with us.

Burger Centre visits

Last week, both the Starfish and Dolphin groups enjoyed their first visit of the year to the Burger Centre. We value this relationship deeply and see the opportunity to engage in intergenerational experiences as priceless and extremely heart-warming. Through these visits to the Burger Centre, we aim to create meaningful connections between different generations, promoting a sense of belonging, empathy, and respect. Through music and interaction, children not only bring joy to the elderly residents but also develop valuable social and emotional skills, such as communication, compassion, and understanding of diversity and inclusion.

This truly is a win-win relationship for both parties. It blows us away when we see the engagement of the Pre-schoolers and how respectful and meaningful their interactions are. They sing with confidence, talk into the microphone, and love the opportunity to perform for their appreciative audience. Being a rainy week, we got to ride in the Burger Centre bus, which was also a highlight.

Neave: We are going to sing to the old people and going to do a mitzvah.
Milo: I liked the bus and biscuits. I liked making the people happy.
Noah D: I liked it when I was singing, and the people were watching.
Amelia L: I liked it when I was singing for the other people. I could see they were happy.

Shevet Achim Ve’achayot

Over the past few weeks, we have been practising the chorus to the song Shevet Achim Ve’achayot. The children took on this challenge with a lot of spirit, ruach and energy and got into it from the very beginning. It was almost as if they knew that this song was very special and one that they could connect too and feel such a sense of warmth and community, when we all got together to practise. We made our learning fun, and it astounded us how quickly the children learnt the words to the chorus, which were very tricky.

We were super proud of the Kornmehl children and how well they coped being put on the spot and with very different expectations placed on them during both the audio and video recordings. They behaved beautifully and participated both times for close to 2 hours. They were all super stars!

It was heartwarming to be part of this incredible project as a whole school and we cannot wait to see the final video. Seeing the whole school working collaboratively towards this goal was a moving, spiritual experience for all involved.

A huge thank you to Mrs Adina Roth, Mrs Sarit Spiro, Mr Adam Majsay and Mrs Tany Milner for their vision, collaboration, and brilliant management of this huge event at Emanuel school. Kol Hakavod to you all.

Happy Birthday

We wish a very happy birthday to Amelia Levi (4), Leo Glikman (4), August Wheeler (5) and Tamar Stuhler (5). We hope you all have a beautiful birthday celebration this term and in the holidays.

We look forward to seeing you all back at Pre-school on Thursday 2 May 2024.

We wish you all a Chag Sameach and a happy Pesach with your families. We hope you all enjoy a restful and rejuvenating holiday.

Kol Szenes

Mia Selby – Year 7

Tal Wajsman – Year 7

Year 7 Szenes
Camp Somerset

There were a lot of activities that went on in Camp Somerset, led by our Kiwi Camp Instructor, Daniel and our Peer Support leaders. From milk crate stacking and low ropes, to kayaking and archery, we had a blast. One really fun activity was MKR (My Kampsite Rules). We all got into groups of five people and cooked a different cuisine for dinner. It was quite hot for the first part of camp, so every now and then we got to jump in the lake. For the second half of camp, it was raining, so we played games and other undercover activities run by the Peer Support Leaders.

During Camp Somerset, we were challenged and put out of our comfort zones, when obstacles such as unpredictable weather, annoying mosquitos, difficult activities, homesickness, and more, came along. These were all things we had to endure, but we endured it together. Though all of this was a new experience, getting put out of our comfort zone made us better people. For example, we faced our fear of heights during the milk crate stacking challenge. Camp made us all grow as people, and also grow into a closer-knit group.

The Peer Support Leaders made everything on camp better. They brought with them an amazing attitude, a bunch of fun activities, and heavenly mosquito bite cream. Camp would really not be the same without them! The activities they thought up were really enjoyable, and brought us closer together as a Tutor Group. We are certainly grateful for the experiences they have gifted us, with their constant support during the more difficult times, and the laughs and good times they have provided us with. Miss McNamara also really brightened the mood with her jokes, understanding, support, and encouragement, never failing to be there for us. Because of them, Camp Somerset was a deeply memorable and fun experience.

Although the first few days of camp we had meals in the dining hall, for the majority of camp we made our own meals.

It was really enjoyable, and everyone wanted to play a part in helping to make it. With scrambled-fried eggs for breakfast (if you know, you know), and sandwiches for lunch, we all had such a good time creating these scrumptious feasts.

Even though every part of camp was a fun experience (maybe except for the no showers and mosquitos), our favourite parts of camp were MKR, cooking our own meals, kayaking, swimming in the lake, Peer Support time, Ruach, and singing, and of course, Daniel!

Overall, camp was such a memorable experience. All the activities and D&Ms were just plain out fun. It brought all of us so much closer together, helping each other when feeling homesick, and vibing together while doing walks and talks.

On behalf of the Year 7 Szenes Tutor Group, we can say that we all learnt so much about each other, and we can’t wait for so many more camps together again!

Year 8 Szenes
Camp Somerset, Swimming Carnival and Cross-Country

During Term 1, Year 8 has experienced so many fun times such as the Swimming Carnival, Cross-Country and our very special Somerset camp. We welcomed our new Tutor, Mr Cotillard and we are enjoying our time with him.

To start the year, we had our High School Swimming Carnival. It was a good day to go swimming as it was a very hot day. We had a few swimmers from our Tutor Group go into CDSSA.

Then a few weeks later we had our last time at Camp Somerset.

Cooper Adler wrote:

Everyone loved it and it was truly an amazing experience. We all learnt lots of new skills from rock climbing, canoeing, cooking, hiking and also making new relationships. I loved rock climbing especially because it is so fun and exciting when you reach the top. It was very challenging as we had to climb actual rocks not just the ones you find at a rock-climbing place. It helped me use my focusing skills because one wrong move and you have to start again. Although everyone did amazingly, I have to say that Pepper was the best rock climber there. During our time we also had an amazing canoeing experience. Along the Colo River, we canoed to our campsite in the afternoon, stayed there overnight and canoed back in the morning. I was with Rafi and Yonni. As much as we tried to capsize the boat it didn’t move.

Then finally just recently we had our cross-country race. It was so fun when we got down to the park, and we cheered and tried our best effort. Pepper Banki came first in the 14-year-old race, and Heidi Martin came 2nd in the same race as well. Everyone tried their best and we all cheered for each other. It was a great day and we can’t wait for next year.

By Ashley Unger, Cooper Adler, Yonni Shmuel and Zach Brown

Benjamin Bergheim -Year 9

Year 9 Szenes
House Assemblies and The Duke of Edinburgh’s practice qualifying camp

House Assemblies are great. They are always so engaging and full of new fun activities. Katia and Reece, our House Madrichim are always introducing new ways in which they can have participation with as many people as possible. There was one time when we played a sibling game, where the siblings would go up and say who was more likely to do something and even watching it was enjoyable. Now, during House Assembly, we are learning our House dance allowing everyone to participate and contribute to the win during the House Music event.

Max Elias – Year 9

Term 1 for Year 9 Szenes was full of many amazing activities such as our adventure on Duke of Edinburgh with around 85% of Year 9 joining in. The practice component of the Bronze level was an overnight 25 km hike through Heathcote National Park. Some of the challenges we faced on our journey included: setting up our tents and preparing our own meals and using a camping stove or trangia to cook some delicious or at least interesting food. Another challenge we had to overcome was maintaining group cohesion. Our entire group had to stay together at all times, meaning individuals couldn’t speed past and leave others behind. The hardest part for the majority of us was the hike itself, which posed many challenges of its own with the uphill and downhill switching constantly where at one point it could feel like abseiling then the next feel like rock climbing. We ended up getting through by motivating each other along the way. Overall, Duke of Edinburgh was an amazing experience for our practice Bronze journey. We can’t wait for the qualifying journey with additional challenges now that we feel more prepared and ready for the real thing.

Max Rose – Year 10

Year 10 Szenes
Purim

Purim was a wonderful experience for both students and staff. The Szenes Year 10 cohort had an incredible time dressing up and seeing our peers’ costumes. We dressed up as firemen. The ‘tutor costume’ was a nice way to bring us together as we collectively worked on our costumes. The whole group spent time painting and designing large cardboard fire trucks. A big mention to Jason and Charli who spent their lunchtimes finishing the painting. We all loved walking across the stage, displaying our hard work. The smiles on our faces brought us all together as we had so much fun. Afterward, we exchanged Mishloach Manot, giving each student a sweet treat and a kind message. It was great to see our Tutor, Mr Bloom, reading from the megillah and organising many entertaining events at lunch such as face-painting and a pizza stand. This wrapped up the day, as our whole tutor group had such an enjoyable time.

Jake Joffe – Year 11

Year 11 Szenes
Starting Year 11- Balancing all commitments

Starting Year 11, I was honestly freaking out. Trying to juggle school, sports, homework and my assessment tasks was daunting. But, after a stressful 11 week-term, I realise so far that even though the workload can feel like a lot, I have learned that the best way to handle it is to just dive in and get started. It’s not always easy, but the key to starting is just starting.

Balancing my extra-curricular activities alongside my schoolwork has proven to be a real challenge. A change I have made since starting Year 11 has been making a conscious effort towards prioritising sleep by going to bed earlier to be able to perform my best the next day, especially before an examination or a basketball game. Between the 5.00 am wakeups for extra-curricular activities and the hours studying for exams, it’s fair to say that it is tough at times, but looking back on the term, putting in the effort has proved to be the most rewarding, and is the only way to achieve the marks you want. I know that Year 11 is just the beginning of a challenging journey, but the clear requisite to thriving is being productive, managing your time and still doing the things you enjoy.

Sarah Manoy – Year 11

Peer Support Leadership

Being a Peer Support Leader has certainly taught me many life skills, specifically in the unique Jewish perspective of Hadracha (leadership). A very special takeaway that I hold close to my heart is the bonds that I have made with my chanichim, that are so different from any other relationship; with friends, siblings, or teachers. It is a relationship that all parties learn from, and something I will continue to return to in life.

Year 7 Camp was such an incredible way to begin the term with them, specifically on one of the mornings towards the end, when a song chain began, and didn’t stop until an hour and a half later. Even though we had an activity planned, it was such a memorable experience as it was led by Year 7; their spirit was – and has continued to be – so infectious and I look forward to the next half of our time with the group.

Bodhi Friske – Year 11

National Beach Volleyball Tournament

I had been preparing for months to join the National Beach Volleyball tournament in Coolangatta, Queensland. It has been a dream of mine to compete against the best teams in the under 17s age group in Australia, and it became true a few weeks ago.

The competition for this tournament was extremely high, as my age group not only has the most skill and physical ability, but we also have 31 teams in the age group, the greatest number of teams out of all the age groups in Australia.

We were all set up across over 30 courts along the beach, with all age groups. Next to the youth courts, were the futures courts, where international teams would compete in the futures tournament. It was great to watch these incredible athletes.

Every night, with our team, we would eat pre-made microwave meals, packed with protein and nutrients, preparing for the next day. We would sometimes go out for dinner or have dinner in another team’s room.

My partner and I rank 4th in NSW for our age group, and overall, we came 15th out of 31 teams. All the effort put in since the end of Spring 2023, training 2 to 3 times a week and attending tournaments 2-4 hours away every few weeks paid off.

This experience taught me what it is to be a high-level athlete, which is only going to push me to go higher. Next year I will go back and be 100x better than I was this year.

Reece Carr – Szenes House Madrich 2024

Katia Auerbach – Szenes House Madricha 2024.

Year 12 Szenes

Year 12 Szenes is thriving. We love Szenes so much!

House Music update

At the moment, we are working on the House Music Dance, learning and dancing together as a House. It has been lots of fun to see everyone’s progress and engagement in practicing the dance. We can’t wait to perfect it and perform next term.

Cross-Country

We loved to see everyone participating in the cross-country last Wednesday.

It was a nice sunny day with lots of Szenes involvement. Congratulations to Dean Klugman (12), Niek Nathan (11), Riley Carr (9), Sanne Nathan (9), Eli Jocum (9), Pepper Banki (8), Heidi Martin (8), Ezra Newfield (7), Oscar Glikin (7) and many many more who achieved a placing. We are so proud of everyone’s efforts on the day.

Run2Cure

Adam Ezekiel – Director of Students (7-12)

Neuroblastoma Run2Cure

Neuroblastoma Australia is a children’s cancer charity. They host the ‘Run2Cure’ event, which brings over 5000 people together in support of research into childhood cancer, neuroblastoma

Statistics

Neuroblastoma claims more lives in children under five than any other cancer.
The average age of diagnosis is just two years old.
The average five-year survival rate for aggressive neuroblastoma is only 50%.

On Sunday, Emanuel had a team of over 25 students, staff and parents take part in the event running 5km, 10km or 21km. The event raised a total of $300,000 for Neuroblastoma, in which the Emanuel team collectively raised over $5,000.

Well done to everyone who participated and contributed to this event.

We are looking forward to planning out next charity run for the City2Surf, which will be announced in Term 2.

One Day

Mirabella Marshall

Ashley Unger

On Sunday 7 April 2024, Lily Foltyn, Leah Joshua, Mirabella Marshall, Johnny Menczel and Ashley Unger performed in the One Day JCA choir at the Sydney Opera House.

It was a great experience, as we were among other talented singers of all ages. Students from Mount Sinai and Moriah College joined us for this incredible day.

On Wednesday we attended the rehearsal at the Burger Centre in Montefiore. We didn’t know what to expect walking into a room filled with people coming together to sing for the JCA major event. During the rehearsal, we learnt our parts and it started coming together. After 2.5 hours of non-stop singing, we left feeling confident.

On the big day of the performance, we all met Ms Favero outside the Stage Door to the Opera House. As we entered the Green Room (it was unfortunately beige) we couldn’t wait to get up on stage and sing our hearts out. We all got into our all-black outfits and put on a yellow ribbon which represented our support for the hostages held in Gaza. JCA cost this day to hold this function as it was six months since October 7. There were so many people attending and it was just amazing.

We all went for lunch in the Circular Quay. We filled up with energy and then got back to the Opera House. While waiting backstage to go on we started to get butterflies in our stomachs. It was so nerve-wracking to think that we would be singing in front of more than 2000 people. It was a fully booked event!

We had the best time ever! A big thanks to Ms Favero for helping to supervise us. To Ilan Kidron and Lara Goodridge – thank you for helping conduct our amazing choir. Your support and dedication paid off in the end. Thanks to Mrs Spira for helping us, even though you were there with your family. It means a lot. And a final thank you to Romy McCorquodale, Liberty Waldner and Boaz Simhi, for represent our School by directing the guests and collecting the pledge cards, amongst other things.

You can listen to the beautiful lyrics here.

By Mirabella Marshall and Ashley Unger, Year 8

Life is a cabaret

Samantha Bauer – Head of Drama

Sometimes I wish, life really was a CABARET!

The Cabaret event at Emanuel School is always a fabulous evening and this year was no exception!

Congratulations to all the wonderful performers who entertained the audience so beautifully last night! Your passion for musical theatre was evident last night and the audience loved it! Your incredible courage to get up on that stage is so inspiring. Just seeing the joy on your faces made me so proud of you… well done.

Thank you

Adam Majsay, Novak Manojlovic, Remi Owen and Dylan Fisher (Accompanists), Tom Parisi and Rory Nathan (Sound and Video Technicians) Lara Ephron and Year 11 Hospitality, Ofer Levy (Photography), Michelle Favero (Marketing), the Maintenance Team and the Tarbut Va’ad (Jesse Barel, Willow Gelin and Alice Milner).

Maths word of the week

Roisin McGrath -Acting Head of Mathematics | Mathematics Teacher

Maths word of the week

Each week, the Mathematics Department will present a new mathematical term to enhance your understanding of mathematical literacy. In your own time, explore the meaning and applications of each term in both mathematical contexts and everyday life.

Consider creating a list of these words, and by the end of the year, you’ll have your own mathematical dictionary! How cool!

If you have interesting math words you’d like featured in announcements, please email
Ms McGrath.

Congruent means ………..

Two shapes which are geometrically identical. Derived from the Latin congruere meaning agreeing.

P&F News

What a Term! The P&F want to wish everyone a wonderful holiday break and Pesach. May we all enjoy the comfort in our tradition of gathering around a table and storytelling with family, friends and people we love.

Term 1 wrap up

From the sausage sizzle serving to Mitzvah meal making, Friday Chills, Purim and Pesach helpers and more – our school wouldn’t have the warmth and community feel without the generous help and keen involvement of our P&F volunteers and parent community. Thank you sincerely to everyone who was able to offer support this term!

A special thanks to the support of the school, with special mention to Laura Hampton and Michelle Favero for all your support of the P&F this term.

Friday Chills – Back Term 4!

Friday Chills was a big success this term and we’ll be back to cool you off at the end of a long week when the weather heats up again in Term 4. We averaged over 50 families sharing in the joy of getting to the end of the week in Term 1.

We love seeing familiar faces counting dollars and cents to enjoy a treat before going home for Shabbat. Big thanks to Mel Shilbury for running this initiative and Jonathan Gavshon for his support!

Fresh challah for sale
Order and pay by Monday 6 May 2024

Mindful Mamas
Mother’s Day Morning – Friday 10 May 2024

Book now for our upcoming Mother’s Day celebration which warmly invites mothers, grandmothers and special friends to share in a morning of gentle yoga and creative activities.

It’s up to us

One of the ways to experience the magic of the Emanuel embrace is to volunteer or come along to one of the many events on the calendar – from weekly Friday Chills to Year group catch ups, mums nights, dad nights or family picnics organised by class parents. After all, our community is only as strong as we make it and there’s never been a more important time to show up and be there for each other.